Page 30 of A Blade of Lies and Spirits

It was difficult not to purr, full of good food and wine. Walker extended his hand, and I took it.

“Based on what I’ve seen today, I think it might be some weeks before your strength replenishes. You’re welcome to stay here until then, with no strings attached.”

A chill crept through my gut, disturbing my contentment. I needed to be back to my old strength. I had too much to do and too many enemies.

“My weakness is temporary, correct?”

“Since you’re not dead, yes, though the time can vary. You lost a lot, but you’re still recovering more quickly than most.”

His eyes, a brown so dark as to be almost black, held concern. The fact that he cared enough to not make me feel confined would be amusing under different circumstances. Beneath my worry and a dollop of fear, an unaccustomed wistfulness brushed my heart like a cat’s whiskers. While men had always been a way to satisfy a temporary hunger, to help block out intrusive emotions, Walker… he made me wish for something more. Which wasn’t something I was sure I wanted, but my heart seemed to have other ideas.

I got up, circled the table, and took his face between my hands. I leaned down and kissed him, felt his hands slide down my back. He pulled me down to straddle him, a no-nonsense grip that could actually hold me even if I objected.

Some moments later, he shifted back, breaking our kiss, and leaving me wanting more. “Alys, are you sure? You don’t have to; staying here isn’t contingent on this.”

I lifted a brow. “And here I thought I was being selfish, wanting even more after all you’ve given me.”

His voice came out low and husky, “Be as selfish as you like.”

In his lap, I finished unbuttoning his shirt. His chest and abdomen were a treat both to the eye and touch, hard muscle and warm skin. His face was puzzled, his voice a blend of excitement, frustration and patience. As if I’ve missed something. Chance often sounded similar when we were on speaking terms.

I wriggled. I liked skirts in times like these. They sped things along and allowed me to sink so low on top of us, it felt like there was almost nothing between us. Nothing but his clothes, and his hard erection, straining even while he seemed to be trying his best to be cautious with me.

“Now, shut up and put out.”

His shoulders shook with laughter, and then he picked me up. “Bed,” he said firmly. “We can take our time there. Without interruption.”

He kicked open his bedroom with me in his arms, then paused in the doorway as I gazed inside. His austere room held a large bed and a chest that doubled as a nightstand. A boldly patterned throw rug softened the floor. A courier bag slumped next to the wall.

Later, sleepy, I enjoyed the heat of him against my back. He was better than a hot rock. I was still trying to figure out whether I liked him being stronger than me in bed when I drifted to sleep.

* * *

Music and laughterpursued me as I clawed myself to wakefulness in the dim room. I could hear them, the elves, in the air. I’d been dreaming about the day Dmitri was conceived, I’d woken aroused, my body burned to be touched.

You’d think a lover who was physical perfection, who had no inhibitions and could feel your every desire, would be a wonderful thing. Until you felt the force of his magic running through you, a fire as intense as the desire he evoked, so that you were burning in more ways than one. I was powerful enough to survive the experience, and it was intensely pleasurable, but the magic itself made for dubious consent, and the dreams I was left with were closer to nightmares than sex dreams.

Even when I remembered him. Dimitri’s father. All full of eyes charcoal grey from lid to lid, silver blond hair, and a powerful body. With him, there was heat, but no love. With Walker, there was heat, and the potential for love.

It was so much more than I ever hoped for or thought I deserved. I wished my dreams were of Walker, the gentle man, with the power of a battlemage. I knew that dream would never be a nightmare.

I reached for Walker, needing his contact to wash away the intrusive memories and sounds. Luckily for me, he’d awakened with my startle, and his hot gaze was already following me as I slid my fingers down his chest, around his dark nipples and following the sprinkling of hair letting them linger on his lower belly.

“Again?” he murmured. “What does a man have to do to get some sleep around here?”

“Me,” I whispered back.

“Best to do you properly to get a couple more hours then.” He shifted, sitting up, and I moved to straddle him.

He chuckled, the warm sound easing away the shreds of nightmare still clinging to me. “No, let’s try something new, if you're feeling energetic.”

Walker guided my hands to the headboard, closing my fingers around the wood. The gentle touch passed his anticipation to me, wrapped in desire and something perilously close to affection. I opted to not think about that, and immersed myself in the moment.

The position left me on my knees facing the headboard.

“Hold on to this until I say let go, or as long as you can. I’ll understand if you can’t handle it.” He trailed his calloused fingers up along my arms and down my back, tracing the curve of my spine. Gentle, but firm enough to remind me of the strength of his hands.

It was impossible to ignore the contact that passed on his pleasure at touching me, mixed with a hint of mischief. I turned my face and glanced at him, raising my brow. “I don’t think you can do anything I haven’t done before, twice. Try to keep me awake, since I can’t entertain myself in this position.”

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